The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1887-06-30
ORIGINAL NOR. CAROLINIANS.
AN INTER ESTING SKETCH OF THE
INDIAN TRIBES IN THE STATE.
Swept Away by Times Changing Cur
rent, They Have Left Behind II ThOu-

Swept Away by Times Changing Cur
rent. They Have Left Behind Thou-
sand Memories.
Maj. j. B Neat hery in n. c. Teacher.l
Feeling that whatever concerns the his
tory of North Carolina should be of inter
est to the teachers and children of the
State especially, | hand you the following
paper in relation to the Indian tribes of
North Carolina, which | have prepared
mainly from historical sources.
| find there were IN North Carolina, at
or about the time of the first settlement
by the white immigrants. about thirty
tribes of Indians, viz: The Tuscaroras,
Cherokees, Catawbas, COratucks, Perqulm-
OnS, COreeS. HatteraS, Cotechneys, Mata-
muskeets ChoWanokcs, Pasquotanks, Me
herrns, Yeopims. Enoes, Oconeeches,
Matchepungos, Sauras, Nusiokcs, Roa-
nokcs, ShoccorieS. OuStacks, Pamplicos,
Bears, Wococons, Croatans, Saponas, Sisse
pehaws, the [ UwharricS, the Pee Dees and
the COnnamoX.
The Corees were located in Craven and
Carteret counties, and from them We have
Core Sound. The Hatteras Indians in
Hyde and Dare have given US name for
a cape and an inlet The Croatans We're
in the same counties, and have left US their
name in one of our sounds as well as a
melancholy memory III connection with
the Disappearance of Sir Walter Ralelghs
colony on Roanoke Island The Coratucks
are remembered in the name of our most
eastern county. The Matamuskeets and
Matchepungos of Hyde and Beaufort are
remembered in the names of our lakes.
The Perquimons, the Chowanokes, the
Pasquotanks, the Pamplicos, the Chero-
KEGS the CataWbaS, each have county
named in their honor. The ChOwanokes,
the Catawbas, the Roanokes, the Meher
rims, the Nusiokes, the EnOes, the Sissepa
haWs or SaXapahaWs, the PasquotankS, the
Perquimons, the Ieopims, the Matchepun
Cos, the Pamlicos. the ShoccorieS, the Oc
Oneechees. the Cotechneys or the Content
meas, and the Saponas, each have river
or creek to perpetuate their names. The
Oconeechees and Sauras have each small
mountains named for them.
The Sapona>.
From Rev Jethro Rumple's History of
Rowan county We learn that the Sapona
Indians had a town on SapOna river (nOw
Iadkin river. near Trading Ford, which
is about six miles from Salisbury, the
county seat Of Rowan county. \ mile be
low Trading Ford are still to be seen the
remains of Sapona Fort, surrounded by
palisades, lnnumerable fragments of pot
terry, flint arrow heads, bones, shells, &c.
Just above the ford was the burying-
ground of the SapOnaS, in the centre of an
island of one hundred acres, where nu-
merous bones have been turned up by the
plow of the white man, and where huge
battle axe, Indian pottery, &c, have been
found ''Bearskln, Il SapOna Indian hun
ter. accompanied the commissioners of
Virginia in running the dividing line be-
tween Virginia and North Carolina in l s2s.
He stated that his people believed in one
supreme Being, whom they recognized as
the creator of all things: that this Being
is good, loving good people. making them
rich and healthy. but Furnishing with hun
ger and sickness those who cheat and lie;
that they believed in future state where
the good live in a charming country of
perpetual spring, where the people are
ever young, where game of all kinds
abounds, and where the trees are ever
laden with fruit, but the bad We're led to
a barren country of unceaslng winter;
where the ground is covered with perpet
ual snow and the trees bear nothing but
icicles whose inhabitants are always
hungry, having nothing to eat but bitter
potato which fills their bodies with pains
and covers them with painful ulcers
The >aponas came from South Carolina
and afterwards Joined the Catawbas and
emIgrated with them to Florida.
The OcOneeehee>
soJOurned tor time on the upper waters
of Enoe river, and ''Oconeechee town.
which was visited by John Lawson, the his
tOrian, is supposed to have been located
near the present site Of Hillsboro Two
small mountains in view Of that ancient,
liberty loving borough are known as the
"oconeechee hills" 1t is supposed they
afterwards removed to what is now North
ampton county, as We find neck of land
on the east side of the Roanoke river known
as "Oconeechee Neck" together with a
creek and township of the same name IN
Mort champion county.
The CataWb bas.
The Catawbas dwelt on both sides of the
| Wateree river in South Carolina and had
/ 800 warriors in 700. In 1143 this num-
ber was reduced to 400, including portions
of broken tribes living in their neighbor-
hood; and Rivers, in his Sketches of South
Carolina, records the fact that in that year
no less than twenty dialects We're spoken
| by the Catawb bas. This tribe removed to
the Piedmont section of North Carolina
where they lived for considerable time
They finally retired from North Carolina
| to Florida, and joined the SeminOles.
Their name IS perpetuated in that of one
Of our western counties, and also by one
Of our most beautiful rivers.
The Cherokees.
The Cherokees extended through Geor-
| gia, the north western part of South Car
I olin;t, into south western North Carolina,
! and in 11:j5 mustered 5000 warriors,
! but in 1916 these were reduced to 300.
/ They reported that in one year they lost
5000 warriors by smallpox and drunken
ness We know but little of the early
history of the Cherokees. In the Seminole
war in 1885 s'Junaluskee,' a chief of the
/ Cherokees greatly aided the United States
army, and afterwards, when Congress or
dered all the Indians to be removed be-
yond the Mississippi river, at the request
4 of the old chief his family was permitted
to remain in North Carolina, aud some
300 Cherokee Indians are now to be
found in. Cherokee, Jackson and Swain
counties. The Ci,erokees we're always
friendly to the whites, and in I'LL aided
in quelling the war inaugurated by the
Tuscaroras. Junaluskee visited Raleigh
in 1916.
The SissipahaWs,
or SaXapahaws, dwelt among the hills OF
Alamance, and the majestic Haw river,
musical with the sound of its thou
sands Of spindles, is alone left to tell OF
this tribe of red linen whose canoes were
once borne on its bosom.
The EnOes
had their hunting grounds in Orange
county, and gave their name to the princi
pal tributary of the Neuse river.
The Sauras